


there's gotta be some butterflies somewhere

by SincerelyKleinman



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Boys In Love, Coming Out, Feeling Safe, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mentions of neglect, Sugary sweet, being too damn tall for treehouses now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-12 17:57:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19234234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SincerelyKleinman/pseuds/SincerelyKleinman
Summary: Daniel nudged Chris with his foot, the blonde finally looking up from the book in his lap. He’d never be over the way freckles splashed across his friend’s face like constellations waiting to be discovered. He wanted to trace each and every one of them with his thumb, but he kept his hands to himself and ashed his own cigarette into the bowl between them.





	there's gotta be some butterflies somewhere

**Author's Note:**

> A sweet getting together fic with Chris and Daniel.  
> Title from "Would You Be So Kind" by dodie

They were getting too big for this treehouse, that was indisputable. Daniel’s long legs stretched across Chris’ lap as he reclined against the bark of the tree, a comic in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other. He ashed into a small bowl beside him, blue eyes never leaving the page. It was cramped and hot, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. This was their space; the only place they felt truly free. Where there was once toys and flags there was now sketchbooks and string lights, blue and red bulbs illuminating their wooden shelter as the sun began to set.

Daniel nudged Chris with his foot, the blonde finally looking up from the book in his lap. He’d never be over the way freckles splashed across his friend’s face like constellations waiting to be discovered. He wanted to trace each and every one of them with his thumb, but he kept his hands to himself and ashed his own cigarette into the bowl between them. “I can’t believe we’re starting high school in the fall.” Daniel didn’t feel fifteen. He still felt like a kid, running around the backyard, playing pretend, sitting in treehouses. Chris took a long drag from his cigarette before putting it out in the bowl, ashes streaking across the white surface. He remembered being younger, Chris telling him how he’d brought that bowl up here to keep his dad from using it as an ashtray. It was ironic, for sure. Daniel couldn’t help but wonder how long it’d been since Chris last felt like a kid.

“Yeah, it’s kinda weird. I’m thinking about dying my hair before school starts.” Daniel raises a dark eyebrow as he tries to imagine Chris with anything other than beautiful blonde locks. “Nothing too crazy, just a streak of blue or red or something.”

“Would your dad be cool with that?” Charles was often an elephant in the room when it came to them making any kind of plans together. He was a metronome flipping between caring too much and not caring at all about any particular thing Chris was doing.

“He won’t care, if he’s even sober enough to notice.” Chris wanted him to notice, then. It was like the time he’d asked Sean’s boyfriend to pierce his ear for him. Daniel remembered that day vividly; sitting next to Chris, holding his hand tightly as Finn held an ice cube under his earlobe. It hadn’t hurt nearly as bad as he’d been expecting. No, what hurt was when Charles hadn’t noticed the small ring looping through the hole and hadn’t listened when he tried to tell him about it. He’d asked Chris if he’d eaten, voice empty. He wasn’t awaiting a response, simply going through the motions before passing out in that old recliner. Chris cried for an hour, arms tight around Daniel as he buried his face in his neck. Daniel’s hand twitched. It was fucked up, he knew, but if Chris had another breakdown, at least he’d have an excuse to hold him close.

“I think you should do it.” Despite everything, he was sincere. He removed his legs from Chris’ lap, careful not to kick or bump into anything in the small space of the treehouse. He scooted over, sitting directly in front of him, stupidly long legs folded like a pretzel. Daniel both loved and hated being tall. On one hand, finding clothes his size was a pain, on the other, he towered over Sean and he never failed to derive joy from that. He put his cigarette out. “A little splash of blue would look awesome in Captain Spirit’s color palette.”

The smile on Chris’ face was reward enough. Daniel looked at those slightly crooked teeth and wanted to smash his face into the other’s. “You really think so?”

“Dude, I know so! I bet the girls at school would go crazy for it too. You’re like an anti-hero!” Daniel knew immediately that he’d said something wrong. The way Chris’ face fell was too obvious. “Which is a good thing! Anti-heros are so cool-”

“It’s not that.” Chris brought his knees to his chest, arms closing around them protectively. He usually wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable with Daniel. It hurt, knowing there was something he may not be trusting him with.

“You can tell me, Chris.” He placed a comforting hand on the other’s knee and gave a tight squeeze. “You’re my best friend.”

That seemed to break him. A small sob wracked through his thin frame, arms holding himself tighter. “I.. I don’t like girls, Daniel.”

“Chris that’s okay. That’s totally okay!” He wrapped his arms around the other, holding him close and safe. “It’s totally normal to like boys. Sean likes boys! And… and I kinda like boys a little..”

“You’re so stupid, you don’t get it.” Daniel pulled back slightly, confusion washing over his face. “I don’t just like boys, Daniel; I like _you_!”

There was a crack of lightning, summer rains as unpredictable as always. Thunder boomed moments later and Daniel had made up his mind. Gently, he rubbed his thumb across Chris’ tear stained cheek, tracing over every freckle like he’d always wanted to. Daniel had never kissed anyone before, but he’d seen enough movies to hope he was doing it right. Chris’ lips were soft, his face warm as it flushed deeply. He was close enough to feel his eyes flutter closed, tears catching in long eyelashes. When he broke away, Chris chased him, both hands framing his face as he pulled him into another kiss. It was a little bit awkward. Chris’ face was wet with tears and Daniel’s legs felt cramped in the tight space of the treehouse, but somehow, it was still perfect. Perfect, and sweet, and pure, and beautiful.

The string lights above them flickered, rain coming down hard around them when they finally part. “Wow I...  thank you?” Chris laughs, hiding his face in his hands. “Sorry, I don’t know what to say right now.”

“No, it’s okay!” Daniel smiles warmly. He reaches for Chris’ hands, gently removing them from his face, fingers intertwining. “I.. I really like you too, Chris.”

“Yeah, I got that part.” Both boys jumped as another thundering roar broke through the sky. The branches of the tree shook with the wind, the treehouse the only thing keeping them safe and dry from the storm around them. “Should we go inside?”

“Nah.. Let’s stay here.”

They were too big for this treehouse now, that was indisputable. But it made them feel safe, and they wouldn’t trade that for anything.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Be sure to leave a comment/kudos if you'd like to see more of these two <3


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